KaBOOM! Watch an old Mazda rev until it explodes

By topgear ,

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There’s nothing quite as unique sounding in the automotive landscape as a Mazda rotary. Especially when it’s been fettled to scream to 10,000rpm and sounds like a baby 787B.

This is something the people of Australia seem to appreciate. Their love for an engine with a magic spinning triangle at its heart is strong.

Across Australia, Wankel-admiring folk have been putting many rotors under the hood and revving them to high heaven for the general population’s pleasure. At the Rotary Revival 6 (a rotary-lovers dream held at Sydney Motorsport Park), one enthusiastic owner brapbrapbrapped his second-generation Mazda Familia past the point of no return, with quite catastrophic consequences.

To help amplify the noise, the owner of a yellow twin-rotor Mazda 1300 pulled into a garage and started rhythmically planting his right foot to and from the bulkhead, making the little oil-thirsty engine rev to 10,000rpm for all of Australia to hear. That was until the engine had enough, and went pop – leading to some rather important mechanical componentry (clutch, flywheel and bell housing) shattering into a million pieces and even breaking through the bonnet.

Safe to say, don’t try this at home. But check it out for yourself below.